This invention relates to providing a visually pleasing finish to openings in room surfaces, e.g., ceilings, surrounding pre-mounted units such as fire sprinklers which extend to or through the room surface.
Fire protection systems usually comprise horizontal runs of water supply piping and vertical stub pipes, referred to as drops, which are intended to position the sprinklers at or near the ceiling level. Typically, in new construction the fire protection system is installed before the ceiling because the fire system is located above the ceiling, and to provide fire protection during construction. It is customary to install a finish plate covering the opening in the ceiling surrounding the sprinkler after the ceiling has been installed.
A recurring problem is that ceilings are not installed with precision with respect to the sprinklers, nor are the sprinklers installed at a uniform height from the floor, so that there is variation in the locations of the sprinklers with respect to the ceiling, in both their relative vertical positions and in the angle between the vertical stub pipes and the plane of the ceiling.
Some of the presently available finish plate fixtures do not adapt to the plane of ceiling, e.g., when the ceiling is slanted, others do not allow adjustment for vertical spacing between the ceiling and fixture, and others require the fire system to be drained and the sprinkler removed to install the finish plate.